Blaine Reed Meteorites For Sale - List 203 - Last of Tucson Meteorites And More

This is going out a day later than it was really supposed to. I was out of town (for 5 days) visiting the Denver Spring show (among other things). I got to measure what will be my new show room for the fall show so now I have to try and figure out how to fit things in (making it effective and comfortable with the tables and such I have). I got home fairly late Monday and found a huge pile of things needing to be dealt with (nothing slows down while I am gone, unfortunately, it piles up just as quickly as when I am home). I put in a 14 hour day yesterday in an attempt to get caught up (almost, but not completely, there yet) and had no time to pull together and send out an offering. Anyway, here it is, all be it a day late.

ADMIRE, Kansas: (Pallasite). Found 1881.Here is a nice (but somewhat wedged) complete slice of the more typical Admire texture (lots of olivine of all sizes and colors along with chromite and sulfides). This, like the amazing large olivine cluster slice I had (and sold) on an earlier offering, was handled by Mike Miller before I got it. I cannot have quite the same confidence in this piece as the large olivine chunk one as I have no idea the condition of the main mass it was cut from after sitting unprotected in Arkansas for a number of years. However, I did reach Steve and he said that this slice was cut at the same time as the others (he guessed that it was actually closer to 6 ½ years ago now). Regardless, the fact that this held up as an intact slice long enough in a humid environment to be processed by Mike (dried and coated with opticon and etched on one side) it certainly can’t be too terrible of a piece (my very first piece of Admire I got from Robert Haag many, many years ago fell apart into a pile of crystals and orange goo in under a year – and that was in a fully air-tight case with desiccant. Thankfully, I salvaged a nice clear crystal and had it faceted – my very first space gem stone, which I still have). What I am certain of though is for the months I have had this sitting around here (with no special care) it has remained completely rust spot free. 795.5 gram complete slice – 220mm x 180mm x 5mm - $2500

AGOUDAL, Morocco: Coarsest octahedrite (IIAB). Found 2000.Here are a few small (but generally larger than I have been able to offer in the past) pieces I got as part of a small collection of irons I picked up in Tucson. These are all wire brushed clean, natural shaped individuals. The smallest and largest have nice sculpted shapes. The mid sized piece does have some sculpting, but not as classic as the other two (and is priced a bit lower accordingly).1) Wire brushed individuals:a) 19.1 grams – 40mm x 15mm x 10mm - $19b) 29.7 grams – 28mm x 25mm x 15mm - $25c) 41.8 grams – 45mm x 20mm x 12mm - $40

GEBEL KAMIL, Egypt: Ni-rich ataxite (ungrouped). Found 2008.Here is a nice large natural shrapnel fragment from this now famous impact crater. This does not have much in the way of thin bent, twisted edges but it does have the classic shape and lots of stretch/ tear marks on its surfaces. This material has become really hard to get as the Russians (who were the ones that either had the smarts/ guts or the stupidity to go to the remote and potentially dangerous area) are no longer allowed to go to Egypt (this is putting a serious crimp in the supplies of Libyan Desert Glass as well). I have this particular large specimen priced right at what I was last quoted for a wholesale lot of Gebel pieces the last time I asked (this past Tucson I think). The folks that usually are a main supplier of this stuff had NONE to offer at the Denver Spring show this year so I suspect that there is very little (if any) of this material available from the original sources these days. 1423.4 gram natural shrapnel fragment – 140mm x 70mm x 35mm - $1000

GOMEZ, Texas: Ordinary chondrite (L6). Found 1974. Tkw = 27 kilograms.Here are a few small part slices from a larger piece I sold to another collector some time ago. They cut the piece roughly in half and kept the larger portion. The other side was cut into smaller specimens such as I have here. I think all of the other pieces have already found homes in other collections. This meteorite is quite fresh showing a fair amount of metal grains in a generally orange to brown mottled matrix. There were some shock melt areas in this stone that were more of a darker green/gray color. It turns out that the smallest piece here was cut from just such an area. The largest piece here has fusion crust along 40mm or so of one of its edges.1) Part slices:a) 7.7 grams – 26mm x 14mm x 7mm - $23b) 19.3 grams – 32mm x 25mm x 7mm - $58c) 53.0 grams – 55mm x 45mm x 7mm - $159

NWA (998), Morocco: Martian (Nakhalite). Found before September 2001. Tkw = 456 grams.This is, by far, the largest piece of Nakhlite (of any name or number) I have ever offered. This is a (quite solid) cut fragment/ block that has fusion crust covering its largest surface. NWA (998) is a bit more special than “common” (as if there is really any such thing) Nakhlites and is classified as an anomalous orthopyroxene-bearing Nakhlite. Even more importantly, carbonate minerals that were deposited in this meteorite by water while it was still on Mars have been found throughout specimens of this stone. Unfortunately, this is the last piece of this rare material my source has available (and does not want it broken up) and I only have a few small scraps (.026g to .728g) remaining available in my inventory. 23.3 gram cut, crusted fragment – 27mm x 25mm x 15mm - $23,000

PLAINVIEW (1917), Texas: (H5) breccia. Found 1917, may have fallen 1903.Here are a couple pieces that were cut from a piece found by Dr. Carleton Moore! He was on a lecture circuit through the area in 2004 (according to his recollection). He stopped in the Plainview area and got permission to look for meteorites for a little while one day. He realized the dream we all have when starting a hunt – quickly finding a meteorite! I am not certain the reasons (a researcher needing a known later find year specimen perhaps) but he cut this stone up recently (keeping the larger end piece for himself). The interior is the classic (H5) breccia Plainview typically shows and, despite being found years after the fall, is still very fresh. I have two specimens available: a complete (but wedge) slice and a really nice end piece that stands up nicely on its own and has nice dark chocolate brown to black crust covering its back-side. a) 13.8 gram complete slice – 45mm x 30mm x 3mm - $140b) 91.2 gram end piece – 42mm x 35mm x 20mm - $900

SILVER ANCIENT METEORITE COIN: Antiochas I 280-261BC.Here is a fantastic super sharp and strong detailed silver version of the bronze ancient meteorite coins I offered on my last mailed offering (list 202 for those of you that receive my e-mail offerings only). I quickly (in one day) sold out of the dozen or so I had of those so I contacted the guy I got the first batch from to see if I could get any more. I was successful (so I do, once again, have some of the $75 bronze coins as offered on that last list if any of you are interested). He included this beauty in the package. I am certain that this is in pretty much as minted condition. Bronze coins were the day to day currency in anceint times whereas silver (and especially gold) coins were generally so valuable that they were often hidden/ buried as longer term savings. Thankfully, this coin was apparently preserved in a sealed container (usually a clay pot) so it was fully preserved. This coin is roughly 18mm in diameter and weighs 4.08 grams. It clearly shows the head of Apollo (in very high relief) on the obverse and the well-centered reverse having Apollo sitting on the Omphalos of Delphi (supposedly a meteorite) with an arrow in one hand and the other hand resting on a bow (all details being super sharp). Silver ancient “meteorite” coin - $350